The US strategy in the geopolitics of critical materials - Report nr. 12, June 2022

The authors address the US strategy in the world geopolitics of metals (more particularly those related to energy transition: copper, cobalt, nickel, lithium, rare earths, chromium, zinc, platinoids, aluminium - the cases of aluminium, copper and nickel are more precisely detailed) with a focus on the upstream part of the value chain, from the extraction of ores to primary products with the transformation of intermediate products. They also address the production of secondary products through recycling, and the security of supply which is at the heart of the geo-economy of new low-carbon technologies. After an overview of fundamental aspects regarding the different types of metals and their role in energy transition, the authors establish the US mining profile (situation of the mining sector, key actors), and describe the historical evolution of the US national mining policy since the end of the Cold War, and the present national strategy. They discuss the US role in the world geo-economy and geopolitics of mines and metals: US strategy to secure metal supplies at the international level, role of the USA in the geo-economy of aluminium, nickel and copper. Data related to US production, supply and demand are provided for different metals (copper, lithium, nickel, platinoids, rare earths, zinc)